'I will be whatever I want to be without you putting any kind of label on me.'
Kriti Sanon says she was thrilled to finally share significant screen time with senior actor Kajol in their film, Do Patti.
The mystery thriller film, which also marks Kriti's production debut, features her in a dual role alongside Kajol. It is their second collaboration after Dilwale in 2015.
The actor said she was glad to share some 'meaty scenes' with Kajol, something they couldn't do when they worked on Dilwale, which was directed by Rohit Shetty and also starred Shah Rukh Khan and Varun Dhawan.
"I was excited that finally, I will get to do some meaty scenes with her which I didn't get during Dilwale. I feel she's just getting better and better in the way she looks and the way she is on set," Kriti says.
"I love that it's always collaborative and we're discussing the scene and she's really involved, whether it is helping you here and there or patting on your back, which means a lot coming from her. I had a blast and was like, 'Oh my God, I'm finally getting to do this'."
Kajol said she couldn't get to know Kriti during the making of Dilwale as they didn't have too many scenes together.
"This was quite a welcome surprise. She has definitely grown and you can see that from Dilwale to here, it's been quite a journey, picking up a National Award along the way as well," Kajol says.
Written by Kanika Dhillon and directed by debutant Shashanka Chaturvedi, Do Patti revolves around twin sisters and a determined police inspector (played by Kajol) who is investigating a case of attempted murder in the fictional town of Devipur, Uttarakhand.
Kriti said Kajol's cop character serves as the 'moral compass' of the story and through her eyes, the mystery gets unravelled.
"She's the one sort of narrating this story and through her, you get to know bits and parts of the story. It's like this really strong character. I feel like she comes with so much of gravity and credibility," she added.
Why did it take her such a long time to play a cop on screen? Kajol said she was waiting for the right project to come along.
"I have been offered cop roles before but I always felt it was not something that could be taken lightly. It had to be a really good script for me to accept it.
"Somehow, something just didn't gel right. Sometimes the script was not good enough, or the director and producer were not great. I felt that if I'm doing something, I have to do it well, and put in your 300 per cent. So yes, I did take a long time to do it and I felt that the script was the right one for it," Kajol said.
Kriti said it was a challenge to make her dual roles look different.
"It was fun because as an actor, suddenly, you're getting to play two characters in one film itself. That doesn't happen often. But how do you make those characters different? Of course, they're written differently, but there's stuff that you can add.
"They don't talk differently in terms of dialect as they're sisters, they're born and brought up in the same environment. A lot of scenes had both characters in it, so technically, it gets challenging but interesting," she said.
Kajol, who has double roles in Dushman (1998) and Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi (2001), said Kriti's portrayal of twin sisters in Do Patti was more challenging.
"A double role in this film is very different. Dushman had scenes but not as many of them together. The two sisters were seen less together in the movie. But in Do Patti, the two sisters are together for 70 per cent of the film.
"So for her, it's a very technically challenging aspect of playing a double role. You're playing two characters. You are reacting to yourself, and everything has to be perfect. She rose up to the challenge quite wonderfully," she added.
Do Patti marks the start of Kriti's producing journey as she has backed the movie through her banner Blue Butterfly Films alongside fellow first-time producer Dhillon of Kathha Pictures.
While on set, Kriti said she prioritised her role as an actor.
"I don't really come out as a producer on set. For me, producing this was more about being involved creatively," she said.
Kriti is not the first female star to turn producer in recent times. Besides her, Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Anushka Sharma, Kangana Ranaut, Taapsee Pannu and Richa Chadha have also taken a plunge into the producing world.
Asked how she sees the trend of female actors turning producers in the Hindi film industry, Kajol said it is a step in the right direction.
"It's a natural evolution for every actor to want to eventually do something more than just act. Turning producer on films that they believe in makes a difference and says something about what they want to represent in society as well.
"That's where women are standing up and saying that, you know, just labelling me as an actor or as a working woman is not enough. I will be whatever I want to be without you putting any kind of label on me," she said.
Do Patti also features television star Shaheer Sheikh in his movie debut along with Tanvi Azmi and Brijendra Kala. It is streaming on Netflix.
